Infamous Beauty
by greenbear327
Summary: Rukia an infamous Soul Society Armed Forces officer, who is known for taking down quite a bit of criminals and a notorious fighter, she meets Ichigo Kurosaki a man who is instantly intrigued by the mysterious beauty and is drawn into her world. He then accompanies her on the dangerous ride that is her life as The Hell Butterfly.
1. Mysterious Amethyst

The man scanned the bar; he wasn't looking for anything in particular, nothing was really catching his interest. His scanning came into a halt when he felt a presence appear behind him.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I couldn't help but notice you over here." The woman started, "You here alone?"

This had been the fifth woman who had approached the man since he stepped into the bar.

"Actually, I am." The man ran his fingers through his orange spikes, "I kinda want it to stay that way."

"You loss, buddy." The woman huffed and walked away.

The man turned back facing the bar.

"You're quite the ladies man, Ichigo." The bartender teased

"Yea and you just scare them away," the ginger retorted

"Don't push your luck, Kurosaki." the other man warned, "This is **my** bar."

"Okay, just calm down, uh—Re—Uh..."

"My name is Renji!" the crimson haired bartender yelped, "You are a regular here and you can't even remember my name!"

"Sorry, I'm not every good with names." The man scratched the back of his neck

* * *

"That, man is really playing hard to get, huh." The woman started, "That's like the third one since we got here…Rukia? Rukia, are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" the other woman looked up from her drink, "Yea that man has been sitting there for a while now" The raven haired woman said.

"Why don't you come up to him?" The woman ushered her companion off the booth.

"Are you crazy, Rangiku?! He rejected all the other women. What makes you think he won't do the same to me?"

"You're different, Rukia." The busty woman insisted

The raven haired woman gave into defeat

"I'm going because I want a drink not for the man, okay? Rangiku?" Rukia left no room for debate

"Okay! Just go!" Rangiku lightly pushed her companion.

Rukia walked towards the bar, but suddenly stopped when she saw a certain crimson haired man behind the counter. "Oh god…" she groaned

* * *

The crimson haired man's eyes lit up when he saw the petite woman walking towards him.

Ichigo noticed the other man's reaction and turned to see where it had came from. There he saw a woman with short raven hair that gracefully hung above her shoulders; the woman was in a very flattering black strapless dress that stopped slightly above the knees. What struck him most was the woman's amethyst eyes.

"H-hey, Rukia." The crimson haired man stuttered lightly blushing

"Can I have the usual," the amethyst eyed woman said playing ignorant to the man's blushing face

"Sure n-nothing." The crimson haired man quickly went to work on the woman's drink.

Ichigo eyed the woman from head-to-toe

"Renji, are you sure you want to serve her a drink," Ichigo asked, "Doesn't she look a little young to be drinking?" the ginger continued to eye the girl.

Rukia didn't notice the ginger until he had spoken. She turned to see the person who questioned her ability to drink. The first thing that caught her eye was his spiky orange hair, the man was wearing a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, he was wearing a pair of black jeans and black shoes.

Ichigo froze when he saw the woman's head turn towards him. The lights that lit the bar left silver specks in her amethyst gaze. After a few moments something suddenly occurred to him. 'Is she checking me out?' he thought.

Rukia turned herself completely towards the ginger. "What makes you think I'm not old enough to drink?" Rukia lightly smirked, "I am, for your information."

"I won't believe that until I see your ID." Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

'Arrogant Asshole' she thought. The raven haired woman swiftly took something out of the pocket of her dress and flashed it the orange haired man's face.

Ichigo's eyes grew slightly wider when the woman flashed a SS Armed Forces badge.

"Enough ID for you?" The woman smirked

"Soul Society Armed Forces, huh?"Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "How do I know you didn't get that from a kid's meal?"

Rukia's eye brow twitched in frustration. "If I were not a part of the SS, why would I have this?" She then lifted part of her dress. Renji's face turned as red as his hair; Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise of the woman's sudden actions. Rukia just rolled her eyes. Then from under the skirt of her dress revealed a Walther P-22 Pistol holstered snug on a black holster that was strapped to her thigh.

"What are you doing with that? I thought little girls can't play with toy guns." Ichigo mused

"It's not a toy." Rukia clenched her jaw

"You sure, it looks like a toy to me." Ichigo shrugged

"How about I shoot you and you can tell me if it's a toy or not." The raven haired woman felt a vain stick out of her forehead; she then smoothed out the skirt of her dress back to where it once rested.

Ichigo leaned towards the woman until their faces were only inches away "Okay, then you'll have to nurse me back to health," he gave her a mischievous grin.

Rukia felt a small thrill run through her body "Pervert," she huffed as a light blush graced her features, "Oi, Renji is my drink ready yet?" she turned to crimson haired man.

The bartender neither answered nor moved. He was still shocked by the moment before; the heavy blush on his face confirmed it.

"Idiot," Rukia rolled her eyes and jumped over the counter and started to make her own drink.

"Don't tell me, you're a bartender as well." Ichigo lightly teased; there was something about her that really intrigued him, he wasn't sure what though. He just stared into her mysterious amethyst eyes.

Rukia noticed the pair of amber eyes watching her every move, "What are you looking at?" she snapped, but didn't turn.

"Temper, temper, just a minute ago you were blushing like a school girl. Did I make you mad?" Ichigo said as if her were talking to a three year old.

"I wasn't blushing!" she yelped

"You know it's not good to lie," Ichigo continued to talk as if she were a toddler

Rukia was at her last straw, she felt like slugging him. She knew she couldn't, although she couldn't help but think how good it would feel if she did. She finished making her drink and cleaned the area.

Ichigo was just waiting for what her answer would be. He surely wasn't expecting what he got.

"Go to Hell." She said as she walked passed him and went back to her table.

As the woman walked passed him, Ichigo noticed something he hadn't before. There on the woman's right shoulder was the number 13 tattooed onto her pale skin and beneath it a black butterfly with its wings spread wide, with the color red laced around the wing's edges.

'Who are you?' Ichigo thought

* * *

'That's what you get for trying to mess with me.' Rukia thought triumphantly

"So…," Rangiku started, "how did it go?"

Rukia raised an eyebrow, "How did what go?"

"How did it go with the man at the bar? Did you get his number?"

"No." Rukia said like she didn't care

"What?! You two were talking and everything. What did you say?" Rangiku was stunned by her companions reply, "He was a handsome guy, and you just blew your chance!"

"I didn't say anything." The raven haired girl quipped

"You must've, I mean seriously you didn't even get his number. Rukia, I know you could've easily gotten it." Her busty companion bubbled

"I-" Rukia was unsure whether to tell the woman or not, "I told him to go to hell. That's all," she shrugged

"You didn't" Rangiku said unbelievingly, "Was he that big of a jerk?"

"Well sort of. He thought I was a kid and treated me like one too. It just annoyed the hell out of me." Rukia grumbled, "I also threatened to shoot him with my gun."

"Really?" the tangerine haired woman couldn't believe her friend, "What did he say?"

"Something I really didn't expect."

"What?"

"He went up really close to my face, and said that if I shot him I would have to nurse him back to health." Rukia explained

"Rukia," her busty companion drawled, "You didn't know what to do so you lost your temper." She was starting to understand.

"I-I didn't lose my temper." Rukia's face flushed pink

"Yes, you did. You panicked and didn't know how to react." Rangiku's voice was soft and ginger, like a mother talking to her child. "It's okay." She smiled 'She's so innocent when it comes to this' she thought

"Uh…Rangiku. Why are you staring at me like that?" Rukia tapped her friends shoulder.

* * *

"Yo, Renji." Ichigo waved his hand in front of the crimson haired man.

"Yo, pineapple head snap out of it." Ichigo tried again.

Renji still didn't respond

Ichigo snapped his fingers in front of the other man's face and as if the crimson haired man was in a trance woke up.

Renji looked around as if to remind himself of his surroundings. "Where's Rukia," Was the first thing he said.

"Well, she lifted her dress skirt and you froze like an idiot, we talked, she made her own drink, told me to go to hell and left." Ichigo said casually

"Why did she lift up her dress?" The crimson haired man's face was still scarlet

"She flashed her gun at me and threatened to shoot me with it."

"That sounds like her." Renji tapped his chin

"How do you know her anyway?" Ichigo asked

"Eh? Oh, we grew up together." Renji replied, "She was always quick tempered, even now. But she also stood for what's right."

"That explains the SS badge." Ichigo mumbled

"Yea, she joined because of that and because her brother is one of the captains." Renji explained "I'm the lieutenant of squad six. Her brother is my captain."

"Wait?! You're a part of the SS too?" Ichigo scowled confused

"Of course," Renji said and took out a badge that hung on a chain under his shirt, "See?"

"Then do you have the same tattoo that woman had?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the image of the amethyst eyed woman's tattoo flashed in his mind.

"Rukia? No, I have enough tattoos as it is." The man said as he pointed to his eyebrows and his arms

"Then why does she have one?" The more Ichigo learned about the woman the more he wanted to know, "What's with the 13 and the butterfly?"

"Okay, the 13 stands for her squad number. Squad Thirteen. The butterfly stands for one of the nicknames she's called by." Renji answered

"One of the nicknames?" Ichigo blurted

"Well you see Rukia is pretty infamous to criminals. She was sent into a gang fight, because one of the gangs were involved in a homicide, and the case was top priority." The crimson haired man started

"Wait they sent her all by herself?" Ichigo scowled

"Yea, just her. She volunteered to do the job. When the day came she was in all black and wore a black trench coat that covered her whole body. All she took with her was her Walther P-22 Pistol."

"Wow. Then what happened?" Ichigo asked like a child listing to a bed time story.

"She took all twenty-four of them down without taking out her gun." Renji responded

"So you mean to tell me, she took all those men out with her bare hands?" Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ichigo looked back at the amethyst eyed woman who was sitting at a booth talking to a busty tangerine haired woman. He turned back to Renji, "Go on."

"Yes. Witnesses also say that when she was fighting, all you could see was her black trench coat waving in the air like wings. Thus, calling her The Hell Butterfly. The crazy thing is, she only came out with a couple broken bones, cuts and burses; while all the men she fought were all beaten to a pulp" Renji crossed his arms over his chest.

"Couldn't someone have made that up?" Ichigo scowled

"I guess, but the medical records on all the men suggested all wounds were caused by hand-to-hand combat. Also they checked Rukia's gun and talked to witnesses, no gun-shot was fired."

"What if someone helped her?"

"Like I said there where witnesses, they all said it was her. Plus, the forensic team looked at all the x-rays from everyone involved all evidence supported the theory that it was just Rukia. In the SS if you do something like what Rukia did, they would look deeply into it to make sure it was true. If it was, the SS would add it to your file."

"That's a good thing, right?" the orange haired man asked

"Definitely." Renji nodded

"How was she able to do all that?"

"Rukia was trained by the best of the best. She had three teachers. Her first teacher was a man named Kaien Shiba, he taught her both hand-to-hand and armed combat; most of her weapons are guns and knives. Her second teacher was her brother, who also did hand-to-hand. Her third teacher was Yoruichi Shihouin she taught her speed and agility. All three of them were her Masters, without them she wouldn't be able to do what she does." Renji finished

"Damn. She's Badass." Ichigo said with his jaw dropped.

"She sure is." Renji nodded

Ichigo turned to look at the infamous beauty, who was now walking out of the bar. Her amethyst eyes glowing like gems. He thought to himself,

'Rukia, The Hell Butterfly.'


	2. To the eye, but in truth

The woman headed towards the door. There was a chill in the air and a certain eerie feeling the closer she had went. The woman looked at the caramel colored envelope in her hand and proceeded to open the door.

The woman's eyes grew wide; her body grew stiff with fear. Her body felt like an anchor holding her down, not allowing her to move from her spot in the room. Her eyes couldn't free its grip on the sight in front of her, an image that would forever plague her dreams.

A blood curdling cry pierced the morning air.

* * *

The raven haired woman looked at her watch and was growing impatient; her foot tapped the marble floor.

* * *

"Do you know where a woman named Rukia is?" the ginger asked, but was ignored by yet another person. Everyone seemed to be in a rush.

"How the hell am I supposed to find her now?" The ginger scratched the back of his head and continued to walk through the marble floored room

* * *

"Where are they?" the woman mumbled to herself as she looked around the room

"Oi, Kuchiki!" A familiar voice called out.

Rukia turned to see who it was, "Oh, there you are," she sighed in relief to the person running towards her.

"I'm sorry for being late, Ms. Kuchiki," the raven haired woman's new companion bowed.

"It's okay Kiyone, no need for formality; just call me Rukia." The raven haired woman politely smiled

"Okay, _Rukia_. I'm sorry for being late. The captain had fallen ill again."

"Is he straining himself again," Rukia shook her head, "The captain needs to learn how to take it easy."

The woman with short dark-blonde hair nodded

"I thought captain Kyouraku's easy-go-lucky attitude would rub off onto the captain, considering they're good friends." The raven haired woman tapped her chin

"Um, Ms. Kuchi- I mean Rukia, here is your new case," the girl handed Rukia a vanilla colored file, "Captain Yamamoto assigned this to you himself."

"This must be very important then," Rukia nodded and took the offered file, "Thank you for this Kiyone." She smiled

"You very welcome, Rukia."

Both women bowed and parted ways

* * *

Ichigo scanned the room, since asking around wasn't working. His lips curved into a grin when he found what, more like _whom_, he was looking for.

* * *

As the raven haired girl walked; she felt a sudden presence appear behind her. The raven haired woman turned to see her yet another companion

"Rukia! You have got to see this," The tangerine haired woman bubbled

"What is it Rangiku?" she didn't know what her friend was going to say, but she knew it would be something silly.

"You know that guy you threaten to shoot."

"Yea…" Rukia drawled 'The Arrogant Asshole? Yea I remember him," she added in her mind.

"Well he's here!" Rangiku grinned

"What?!" Rukia's eyes slightly widened in surprise, "What is he doing here?!"

"He's looking for you!" the tangerine haired woman giggled, "You have to talk to him."

"What?! Why?!" Rukia put her hands on her hips, "I have nothing to say to him."

* * *

The orange haired man walked in long strides, watching as the figure of the woman grew closer and closer.

* * *

The tangerine haired woman's grin grew wider when she saw said man walking towards them, "Speak of the devil…" she mumbled, "Well, Rukia I have to go now, I have **a lot** of work to do."

"What work? You just nap in the squad 10 barracks!" Rukia jested, but her companion simply turned and walked away, "Rangiku!"

The tangerine haired woman didn't turn, she waved her hand dismissively.

"What the hell was that all about?" the raven haired woman mumbled to herself.

Rukia felt a hand grip her shoulder unexpectedly. Instinct kicked in, without looking behind her the raven haired woman grabbed the wrist of the hand gripping her shoulder and with one swift movement flipped the aggressor over her shoulder and onto the marble floor in front of her. "You got a lot of nerve." She snarled.

* * *

The orange haired man was dazed. One moment he was about to greet the raven haired woman, the next he's on the ground looking up into those amethyst eyes, "Damn you're strong," he laughed, " It's no wonder they call you 'The Hell Butterfly'."

It took the raven haired woman a moment to process what happened and who she had thrown to the ground. "What the hell do you want." She scowled

"Aw geez, this was my new suit too," the orange haired man smiled and continued to look up at the raven haired woman who had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face 'So cute,' he thought , "I'm fine, thank you for asking. What about you?" he said sarcastically

"Are you fucking kidding me? What the hell do you think you're doing?" She snapped

Ichigo surveyed the raven haired woman from head-to-toe.

She was dressed more casually then all the other SS officers he'd seen, her hair hanging loosely above her shoulders, a simple black undershirt with her SS badge hanging on a long chain around her neck, black jeans, a pair of black and white All Star converse, and her gun holstered to her hip completing the look. Considering her size and if you took away her gun and badge she would look like an ordinary high school student.

Rukia's violet orbs narrowed as she glared downward at the orange haired man waiting for an answer, "Well?" she said impatiently

"Have you ever thought of being a narcotics officer?" the ginger bluntly asked slightly tilting his head

"I don't have time for this," Rukia rolled her eyes; "You need to go to an insane asylum."

Ichigo continued to stare at the raven haired woman, and then something caught his eye.

Rukia almost jumped when the ginger suddenly sat up and faced her.

"Is that our new case?" the ginger wondered aloud as he took the vanilla folder out of the woman's grasp. Rukia had almost forgotten that she had it.

It took all that Rukia had not to punch the ginger, "What do you mean _our_ case?" she growled

"Oh, they didn't tell you? Well, I'm your new partner," Ichigo smirked

"No shit!" she barked, "I won't believe you until I see some proof." The raven haired woman crossed her arms over her chest, "You know, I never would have thought that the SS would hire psycho paths."

"Haha, you're a comedian," Ichigo mocked as he fished said item out of the pocket of his suite jacket, "here, look."

Rukia snatched the item out of his hand

'_Name: Ichigo Kurosaki_

_Hair color: Orange_

_Eye color: Amber_

_Day of birth: July 15__th__…" _It was just the mandatory stuff, height, weight and… 'Wait a minute…' Rukia thought as she scanned the card, 'His birthday is what?' she squinted at the text written on the card, making sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her.

As Ichigo watched the woman, his eyes drifted to the number 13 and butterfly that was inked onto her right shoulder. 'This woman. She looks so small and fragile to the eye, but so strong and mysterious in truth.' He's train of thought ended when he saw a smug look appear on the woman's face.

"What's with the face?" he scowled in confusion

"The Head Captain was so desperate to find me a partner he ends up hiring a kid," the raven hared woman scoffed

"Who ya calling a kid, you little brat," snapped the ginger

"What did you say?" the raven haired woman barked

"You heard me, midget!"

"Say that again," the woman challenged as the blood boiled through her body, "I **DARE** you."

The orange haired man stood up from his spot on the marble floor, "Mig—e" Ichigo couldn't finish the word, for he had a mouth full of 'midget' foot in it. The ginger man crouched to the ground holding his mouth.

"Why you little bitc-"

"Learn to treat those who are older than you with respect, got it you _**little brat.**_" Rukia interrupted

"I don't see why you're the one telling me this. You're like what..." the ginger did a quick head-to-toe scan of the raven haired woman, "21?"

"Nice try," she scoffed, "So I have a kid name strawberry as a partner, that's…interesting"

"My name is not strawberry," the ginger said through clenched teeth.

The raven haired woman ignored the man, "You know, I always thought that if I ever met a person with the name strawberry they would be a woman and a hippie," the woman tapped her chin as if in deep thought, "Although I was right about the orange hair." She teased

Ichigo felt his eye twitch in annoyance and clenched his fist, "My name is not STRAWBERRY! It's ONE WHO PROTECTS! 'Ichi' as in one and 'go' as in protect!" the ginger roared

"Okay, okay don't need to turn into the Hulk on me now," The raven hared woman chuckled in amusement.

Ichigo was struck by the woman's change in mood as a light blushed that ran on his features, "H-how old are you anyway?"

"Me? I'm 27," the raven haired woman smirked

The gap in Ichigo's mouth was the size of a dinner plate, "Wah, we're the same age, idiot!" he growled, the blush on his face grew into a deep pink.

"I was born January 14 ," the smirk on the small woman's face became more prominent.

"That is only seven months, can't you count?!" The ginger was applauded at the absurdity of the raven haired woman, but his blush still resumed its spot on his face

"Seven months is still seven months," Rukia said, her arms crossed over her modest chest, "So start showing me some respect."

"Oh, yeah?" the ginger moved closer to the raven haired woman pinning her against the wall with her arms bent over her head, her wrist held together with one of his hands, his face ever so close to hers, "Just because you're older doesn't mean anything, there will come a day when you're not the strongest…" Rukia felt his hot breath against her skin, "Rukia…"

"Tch," the raven haired woman growled and with no effort at all upper cut the ginger with her knee, lifted herself up, and in one quick motion launched the ginger to the ground with one strong kick.

A wave of shock hit Ichigo as an 'uff' escaped his lips as he felt his back hit the hard marble floor with a thud, and the sting from a hard trust of a knee ran through his jaw. He was now, and once again, looking up back at the raven haired woman.

"That day has not come," she chided, "I am 'The Hell Butterfly' and don't you forget that."

Ichigo just stared at the woman.

Rukia rolled her eyes, "Get up, we have work to do."

Rukia took the vanilla folder out of Ichigo's hand. In that moment Ichigo saw a fraction of a smile appear on the woman's face

"This is _our_ case after all." She added


	3. Questions in the air

"Victim's male. Gunshot wound to the head, presumably cause a death." Rukia's eyes scanned the file that was held firmly in her hand, "It says he's been dead for two weeks," she read aloud.

Ichigo simply nodded and followed the raven haired woman to the forensic wing of the massive building that is the SS. As they entered the said building Ichigo let out a gasp of awe. The room was brightly lit, flashing buttons and machines he's never even heard of, every time he looked he would see something he hadn't noticed before, looking up he could see each story that bordered the immaculate building. The ginger continued to scan the room and saw different platforms, and each had a table that carried a decomposing body (not the prettiest sight), but still amazing. He watched as a group of men and women in white aprons and gloves hovering over a body, observing, jotting down notes, taking samples and scrambling to their desk hastily typing their newly gathered information.

The ginger's reaction caught the raven haired woman's attention. She let out a small snort and a smirk etched onto her features, "Amazing. Isn't it?"

"It's like I'm in a spaceship," Ichigo was dumbstruck; never in his life did he think he would be in such a high tech building. If you were to ask him a week ago if such a building existed he would have laughed and say that you're quite the dreamer.

Rukia let out a small laugh, "This building never ceases to amaze me."

Ichigo, still in awe, only nodded

A 'Tch' escaped Rukia's lips as her elbow collided with the ginger's side.

"What the Hell!" Ichigo growled, gripping his side.

"Quit wasting time we have work to do!" She barked with authority never leaving her as she spoke, "This is a serious case. We can't just stop and stare at every new thing we see; if we did, nothing would be done." The raven haired woman huffed and walked ahead, leaving the ginger.

Ichigo gave a small pout and followed his partner, "Where'd they find the body?" Ichigo asked in a light jog.

"In the squad five barracks, captain's office," Rukia answered her eyes scanning the file once more as she walked

"So the victims is one of our own?" the ginger mumbled to himself

"Actually, dental reacords confirmed the victim is Captain Sosuke Aizen," the raven haired woman broke in

Ichigo blinked in surprise, "A Captain?!" he choked, "Aren't they highly trained?"

Rukia didn't answer she was too concentrated on the file in front of her.

"A highly trained captain is killed, left in his barracks and is found decomposed two weeks later." Ichigo continued, despite the fact he wasn't being listened to, he scowled, "You would think someone would notice a captain missing, especially for two weeks. Right?"

Rukia lifted her head from the file and looked at her partner, "You're right."

The raven haired woman turned unexpectedly almost knocking Ichigo over.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Where we goin'?"

"Just shut up and wait," the raven haired woman snapped

* * *

Ichigo sat behind the one-way mirror grumbling to himself, a dark aura surrounding him. His head turned when he heard the door to the room open.

A woman with tangerine hair walked in the room her outfit exposing more cleavage than Ichigo was comfortable with, "Am I late?" the woman asked her gaze looking trough the one-way mirror, "Did she start yet."

Ichigo shook his head in response, "Their gonna start in a few minutes." He assumed she was referring to the raven haired woman, who was sitting in the interrogation room

"Oh, good," the woman sighed in relief, "My nap lasted longer than I had hoped," she laughed

Ichigo stared at the tangerine haired woman, she looked familiar.

The woman noticed a pair of eyes looking at her and said, "I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, psychologist. Rukia and I always work together when it comes to this," she motioned to the room on the other side of the one-way mirror, "And you are?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I'm Rukia's new partner." He replied simply

"Oh yea! You're the guy from the bar!" the tangerine haired woman smiled, "I was with Rukia at the bar the other day; I say you two talking. So much sexual tension." she smiled

Ichigo's face turned a bright pink, "W-what? N-no there wasn't!"

The busty woman laughed, "Don't try to hide it, Ichigo. You're fooling no one."

There was an awkward silence, Ichigo looked around the room. There were a total of four monitors, each one showing different angles of the black room where Rukia was sitting in, a microphone resting on the same table. Ichigo looked blankly at the one-way mirror that connected this room and the interrogation room. The interrogation room had one silver table and two chairs, nothing much considering what it was used for.

The tangerine haired woman leaned over the microphone and turned it on, "Hey, sweetie, it's me." She said.

* * *

Rukia jumped to the familiar voice, 'Rangiku' she thought she turned her head to the tinted window and waved with a sweet smile.

"I thought you weren't gonna come," Rukia smirked

Rangiku's laugh rang out of Rukia's right ear bud, "Why would I! We haven't done anything for a while, I was getting board."

Rukia raised a gentle eyebrow, "You? Board? I find that a little hard to believe."

Before her friend was able to respond the door to the interrogation room opened gently, Rukia quickly stood to her feet. She heard Rangiku's voice come from her ear bud, "It's show time"

* * *

Ichigo saw the busty woman go from bubbly to dead serious; it sent chills down his spine. He turned his head toward the one-way mirror, there he saw a woman about the same size as Rukia, her hair in a bun, walk in the interrogation room. Ichigo stared intently at Rukia; his eye's following her every move.

* * *

"I'm sorry to take you from your duties, lieutenant Hinamori." Rukia bowed

"It's okay, Rukia," Momo said calmly taking a seat, she looked grim, her eyes filled with sadness, "No need to worry."

"Some questions are going to be hard, Momo. I just need you to bear though them okay," Rukia's voice was gentle and caring

Momo nodded and took a deep breath.

Rukia started off with questions that would be easy to answer, something Rangiku had taught her, being sure not to start with something to difficult or too emotional to answer.

* * *

As the interrogation went on Ichigo watched as Rangiku and Rukia work. Rangiku speaking to Rukia, explaining the woman named Momo's body language and telling Rukia questions to ask; Rukia doing as the tangerine woman said and asking questions of her own.

* * *

"Momo, tell me, how come no one notice that your captain had gone missing?" Rukia wondered

Momo shifted in her seat before answering, "The captain had a habit of locking himself in his office. So it wasn't unusual."

Rukia nodded, "Who had access to his office?"

"Only Me, the captain and the custodians had keys to the office."

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt the captain?"

Rukia noticed the woman starting to shake. Rukia placed her and on the woman's, to comfort her.

"You work here Rukia. You know how it is," Momo said, her voice barely audible, "You of all people should know the dangers and enemies that come with this job." She begun to cry

Momo was right, Rukia knew all too well of the effects that come with her job. All the enemies she gained, all the people who would pay to see her dead.

"When I saw his body there, I couldn't even recognize him. He didn't look human. I-I was horrified. I thought I was just dreaming. That what was in front of me couldn't possibly be true." Momo's voice was shaking, tears streaming down her face, "This job teaches you to be strong, but I-I just couldn't take it, I broke down."

"It's okay Momo. We all have our breaking points, we can't be strong forever."Rukia straightened up, "Again I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

* * *

"It wasn't her," Rangiku said, breaking the silence between her and Ichigo

"What do you mean it wasn't her?" Ichigo was confused of the busty woman's comment, "We don't even have any suspects."

"The murder has to be someone familiar with the SS, Rukia's thinking the same thing," Rangiku's tone was still serious.

"She's right Ichigo, the SS has the best security in the country, and no one can just walk in and walk out." Ichigo and Rangiku jumped by the unexpected voice, they both turned and saw said woman at the door

"Rukia! You scared me! I almost jumped out of my clothes." Rangiku laughed, "I would have been all exposed!"

"You wouldn't have mind," Rukia smiled

"There's nothing wrong with showing a little skin." Rangiku beamed

Ichigo cleared his throat to remind the two women he was in the room. "How come I couldn't join you in the interrogation?" he scowled

Rukia raised a fine eyebrow, "Why? This woman is shaken up the last thing she needs is to see your ugly mug."

Ichigo felt his eye twitch in with annoyance, "What makes you think seeing a midget like you would make her feel any better?" he retorted

"Say it again berry head, say it!" Rukia growled

Ichigo and Rukia's faces where only a breath away as the bickered

Rukia could feel Ichigo's hot breath on her skin.

Ichigo could see the black speaks in Rukia's amethyst eyes

Ichigo's face turned red with embracement. It suddenly hit him on how close of proximity they were in.

Rukia just huffed and turned back to her busty friend, "The killer must have ties in the SS"

Rangiku tilted her head, "Are you saying one of our own killed the captain."

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Rukia asserted


	4. The body on the table

**Authors note: I finally got this posted! Sorry that it took long. Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it! Please Review~**

* * *

Everything was silent; there was a deserted feeling that hung in the air. The room was dimly lit by a large computer screen, the light hum of running modems, the buzz of electricity. The man's pale fingers danced across the key-board, his hands moving in a fast paced rhythm, his eyes scanning the screen.

"Interesting…" the man said he voice scratchy, and then mumbling inaudibly a window appeared on the screen

"Nemu!" the man yelled

A woman appeared form the shadows wearing a black jumper, her hair dark brown in a braid, a red choker around her neck. "Yes, Master?" she asked looking at the man's back

"Tell me, who is working on this case." He demanded not bothering to turn around

"That would be Rukia Kuchiki and her new partner Ichigo Kurosaki." The woman replied

"New partner eh," the man tapped his chin, "Alert them both immediately."

"Master, it's already two 'o' clock in the morning," The woman said, her voice monotone, "They are both asleep right now."

"Yes, it seems so." The man put his hand on his chin, "Tell them when they get here." He said waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes, master." The woman bowed and resumed her spot.

"Simpletons," the man said, "Asleep at this hour, ludicrous."

* * *

The watcher looked around blankly, constantly checking the clock that hung on the wall of the diner.

His eyes flickered to attention, watching intently as a certain Rukia Kuchiki walked out the door to her apartment building, taking note of her locked jaw and clenched fist.

The man looked at the clock, '8:15, same as usual' he thought.

His prolonged staring didn't worry him; he was a good distance away from the woman, so there was no need to. He continued to stare at the woman as she went into her car and drove away. The watcher took out the small recorder that had rested in his chest pocket.

He looked at the clock, "8:20, Subject has left at the usual time of 8:15. Subject has not proved to be any possible threat, as of yet (Pause) Subject seems more irritable than usual, her jaw locked her fist clenched, possible change in routine, but things in this part of day seem, otherwise, normal."The watcher spoke into the recorder.

The watcher then got up from where he sat and exited the diner.

* * *

The ginger's eye twitched in annoyance as he stared in to the flaming violet orbs of a certain raven haired woman.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Rukia said, her words dripping with authority and obvious irritation.

Ichigo simply scowled, she had been yelling at him for so long he forgot what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. He just watched her lips move to every word that escaped her lips, paying no heed to what she was saying. Not in the slightest.

"This is a serious job, Ichigo! Do think you can come and go whenever you please!" the raven haired woman said harshly.

'Oh yeah, that's it,' Ichigo groaned inwardly, 'I came late.'

"Why did you even join the SS?" Rukia paused as if thinking of a reason, "Don't tell me you joined just so you could get to me," she said with a smug expression.

Ichigo's scowl deepened at her accusation, "Don't flatter yourself, midget," he smirked, "The day I met you at the bar was the day I was accepted." The ginger said thrusting his thumb to his chest.

The raven haired woman opened her mouth for her retort, but heard footsteps coming towards her. The petite woman turned, a polite smile gracing her features.

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief he really didn't want to be lectured in the morning; well considering how long the raven haired woman had been talking he wouldn't be surprised if it were noon already.

The ginger furrowed his eyebrows as he watched a woman, who wore a black jumper, brown hair in a braid and a red choker around her neck; approach the raven haired woman, a vanilla folder clutched in her hand.

"Good morning, Nemu," Rukia smiled

"Hello, Ms. Kuchiki, I have information that Master Mayuri wishes to share with you," The woman said her voice monotone as she handed the raven haired woman the folder.

"Thank you, Nemu," Rukia bowed, taking said folder and looking at the contents inside, not bothering to add saying the no need for the formality.

Ichigo looking over her shoulder, scanning the papers that said folder held.

Rukia, feeling the ginger's presence, wasted no time to collide her elbow into to the chest of her redheaded partner.

"Bitch!..." Ichigo swore, "Why the hell do you keep doing that?!" he snarled with a menacing scowl, as he glowering down at the petite woman

"That's for being late." The raven haired woman smirked, undeterred by the ginger, "I'm not intimidated by you, even if you are bigger. So don't think for a moment that you scare me," she scolded her hands on her hips returning the ginger's glare.

Sucking in a deep breath for a moment, Ichigo holding it in attempting to will the pain from his aching chest away, staring into to the amethyst glare that returned his amber one.

Their little staring contest ended with a soft monotone voice breaking through, "Ms. Kuchiki, Master Mayuri sees it that you attend to the information within the folder immediately." Nemu said, putting the conversation back on track.

In perfect unison the raven haired woman and her partner turned their heads back to the woman in the black jumper, and then turned their gazes to said folder that was held close to Rukia's modest chest.

"U-uh…Yea, I'll report back to you…Thanks, Nemu," Rukia said refocusing and looking into the folder once again, a light blush gracing her features as she straightened up, 'Forgot she was there' she thought nervously

Nemu only nodded, bowed and went her own way.

Ichigo raised a curious brow at the folder and at the petite woman who held it, "What does it say?"

"Hushh…" Rukia raised an index finger to the ginger's face and waved him away dismissively

"I just wanted to know what it said," Ichigo let out a pout and a halfhearted scowl, crossing his arms over his chest; he stood by the raven haired woman, waiting for her to answer his question.

Ichigo only watched Rukia as she read softly to herself, since he wasn't getting his answer any time soon; he was only able to make out a couple words:

"… Magnesium Oxide... Phosphorus pentoxide… Calcium oxide… That's not right… What… Shit... Ichigo!" The raven haired woman barked

Ichigo jumped at the sudden call of his name, but went to the raven haired woman none the less, "Yeah, what is it, Rukia?" he asked a confused scowl taking his features

"Look at this!" Rukia said, her amethyst eyes shining as she pointed at the paper, moving closer to Ichigo to give him a better view.

The sudden change in the raven haired woman's mood made the ginger grow apprehensive. He looked at the paper and was immediately confused, not only did he not know what some…okay all the words that were written down were, he didn't understand them either.

"Um…Rukia…What am I suppose to be lookin' at?" the ginger said scratching the back of his head.

"Can't you read it?" Rukia said crossing her arms over her modest chest

"Uh, no, I can't read it," Ichigo quipped, "Just tell me."

Rukia rolled her eyes in annoyance of her partner's incompetence, "Well, is our victim an elephant," she said mockingly, "or a rhino?"

Ichigo narrowed his amber eyes at the raven haired woman, growing slightly irritated of her cynical tone; "No." was his short answer

"Okay then, well, this paper says that this man's teeth was made of ivory," the raven haired woman said as if talking to a toddler, "Do you know what ivory is?"

"Okay, quit it with the baby talk," Ichigo said through a clenched jaw, "I'm not stupid."

"You sure about that," Rukia gibed

"Yeah, I'm sure," the ginger said crossing his arms defensively, "So, what if the victim had false teeth?"

"That could be possible if there was a company that would stick the false teeth into the jawbone of its user, plus, Captain Aizen was only in his mid thirties. Not a time for false teeth." Rukia said as she and Ichigo walked to forensic wing of the SS

"So these ivory teeth were implanted."

"Right," Rukia said walking onto the platform, standing among the men and women in lab coats that surrounded the ivory toothed body.

Ichigo went on after the petite woman only stopping, staying a good two feet from the horrid mush of decomposing body parts that laid on the table ahead. He continued to watch Rukia as she talked to one of the people in lab coats and her handing the vanilla folder.

"What are you doing?" The ginger asked the raven haired woman approached him

"Telling the forensic team about the folder and the ivory teeth," She said watching the lab techs running around the body and paying attention the mouth of the victim.

"Hey, since the teeth are ivory and were implanted, doesn't that mean that the body lying on the table over there isn't who you identified him as?" Ichigo said gesturing towards said body.

"That's why I had to tell them," Rukia said her facial features sharp and attentive, "They should be alerting the head captain by now."

"I see," Ichigo said joining Rukia as they watched the workers move and pace about the platform.

"Although, this might look bad on our part," Rukia said, her eyes not leaving the commotion

"Why is that?"

"We misidentified the victim for a captain. So now we have a John Doe, a captain missing and a killer on the loose, a killer who may indeed be a member of the SS."

Ichigo looked around, he then saw a man with short silver-gray hair and a small black handlebar mustache, the man was dressed more formally than most SS officers that he's seen. Hell, Rukia was wearing the same thing before, just this time the color shirt changed and now she was wearing a jean jacket over it. He himself was wearing a plain white button up shirt and a pair of jeans. But this man was wearing a black suit jacket with a white turtle neck underneath and black dress pants and shoes. The man walked towards the front of the platform, his eyes fixed on Rukia and him.

Ichigo felt Rukia's body tense ever so slightly next to his, "_Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe_," she breathed

Everyone began to stir as men in black suits, armed with weapons, surrounded the platform blocking all exits.

"What's going on?" Ichigo whispered, "Aren't the guys in suits on our side?" he scowled

"Yes, but they are special trained officers, they come from higher up, people you don't want to mess with, just hang on tight and do whatever they say, got it." Rukia snapped in a low voice

The man with silver hair walked up to the two, his voice strong and wasn't shy of authority as he said, "Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki, by the orders of Head Captain Yamamoto himself, you two are here by ordered off the case of the murder of Captain Sousuke Aizen and are to destroy all evidence and information pertaining to the case." The man then turned to face the rest of people on the platform, his voice booming, "No one is to talk about this. Anyone who disobeys and fail to do what's ordered of them and continue to peruse the case any further will be relived from their duties in the Soul Society Armed forces and will be charged with conspiracy and treason."


	5. One's Orders & One's Duty

"What The Hell Is The Meaning Of This!" Ichigo yelled slamming the massive doors to the Head Captain's office open with such a force and fury the room echoed and the walls shook. The ginger's eyes staring the old man down.

Rukia sighed as she followed her partner into the impressive room, leaning against the entrance. 'Don't do anything stupid, Ichigo' she thought

"I can say the same for you, Kurosaki," the Head Captain said composedly, "making a ruckus and barging into my office."

Ichigo looked around the burly room. Two of the four walls that the room consisted of, had grand bookcases occupying them completely filled with books, in front of each bookcase was a coffee table with two lounge chairs, the third wall was home to the massive door, the fourth wall was relatively empty, only a painting hung on it, but what was in front of it was what mattered. Right in front of that wall was a desk that was as impressive as the room itself, covered with papers, pens, a telephone, and a desktop computer all neatly arranged, and in a leather desk chair was the head captain of the SS Armed Forces.

Ichigo continued to stare down the Head Captain, an old man with a long white beard that seemed to go on and touch the floor, same goes for his eyebrows, his face wrinkled and gawky with age, his scrutinizing eyes that never left the paper work in front of him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, if you wish to say something you should have went through the proper procedures to do so, instead of running in here and throwing a tantrum like a child," the Head Captain said as he continued to work

Ichigo crossed the room, the hard wood floors emphasizing each step the ginger took, coming closer to the Head Captain, "You must got some screws lose old man," he snorted, "So many people where workin' on the Aizen case, important people too," he continued, thrusting his finger towards his raven haired partner, who silently resumed her spot by the door, "You specifically ordered my partner and I to investigate and then just decide to stop the investigation and close everything up. What kind of Head Captain does that?" the ginger fumed.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, look at your partner. She has not said a word. She has been in the Soul Society Armed Forces since she was a girl, unlike you, this young woman knows what she is doing," the Head Captain said looking up from his papers, "You have just joined us, and you still haven't learned what we do here. You are to follow orders that I give, regardless if you agree or not. Know your place, Kurosaki."

Ichigo clenched his fist, "An innocent man was killed," he growled, his body shook with anger, "You expect me to just stand here and do nothing about it? Huh?!"

"Your duty is to do what I say, it's for the best," the Head Captain said

"For the best, eh," Ichigo said quietly

"With all due respect, Head Captain, our job isn't taking orders," Rukia said firmly

Ichigo turned in surprise at the raven haired woman's sudden actions; his eyes softening with relief. In turn, the Head Captain faced the raven haired woman, his scrutinizing eyes now fixated on her.

"Our job, our duty, is to give hell to the people who think they can do whatever they want, kill whomever they want , who disturb the innocent. We are here to make them pay for the things they have done, to condemn them for their sinful actions," Rukia said, her voice unwavering

Ichigo stared at the raven haired woman, dumbstruck and amazed. Never has he seen Rukia this passionate, even though he barely knew her, this was quite the sight.

"I did not join to only follow orders, I am sure Ichigo feels the same," Rukia continued, "I joined to help and protect the ones who cannot protect themselves, that is my duty. I know I can't take away the pain they are feeling, but what I can do is ease that pain and bring in the bastard who caused that pain. I don't know if you have lost sight of this, Head Captain, but I sure haven't and I intend to solve this case with Ichigo, despite what you think and whether _**you**_ agree with it or not." She finished, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Is that so," The Head Captain said, eyeing the raven haired woman, "I will give you twenty-four hours to change your mind. When those twenty-four hours are up and you still insist on not taking orders, then I am afraid that you'll be put into custody and, as said before, you will be relieved of your duties and charged for conspiracy and treason."

Rukia narrowed her eyes at the Head Captain, "Come on, Ichigo, let's go" she said nodding towards the door behind her.

Ichigo nodded at a loss for words, and strode to Rukia's side.

Before leaving the room, Rukia took out her badge and the gun at her hip and tossed them on the coffee table closest to her. Noticing her actions, Ichigo did the same, a scowl etched into his features.

The Head Captain watched as the two left without saying a word. He only shook his head in dismay, "So that's how it is, Kuchiki."

* * *

The two finaly made it back to Rukia's office. Ichigo immediately slumped into the first chair he saw. Rukia simply stood beside him, in deep thought.

Rukia let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples, "Well, this is going to be troublesome."

"I guess it is," Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Uh, Rukia, you didn't have to say all those things back there."

Rukia looked at the ginger, his face pink, and replied softly, "I meant all those things I said, and I am sure you would have done the same. Besides, we're partners."

Ichigo nodded, "I was surprised, when you talked. I mean, considering your reputation and your commitment to the SS... Are you really willing to risk it all. You can lose everything because of me, you sure you wanna do tha-"

"Don't talk like that, fool!" Rukia snapped, "I chose to do this. And If I do lose everything, it won't be the first time that's happened," she finished with a sad expression.

Ichigo watched the woman, eyeing the butterfly and the number 13 that was tattooed on her right fore-arm, concerned and contemplating about her last comment.

Noticing the ginger's look of concern, Rukia straightened herself up and elbowed the carrot-top's ribs, doing nothing as he panted and clutched his side in pain and ignored his muffled cursing, "Well, there are things that I need to get done if we are going to solve this case. Wait here like a good boy and don't tell anyone what is going on, what we are doing, and where we are going."

"How can I tell them if I don't even know," Ichigo deadpanned, "and what's with this 'good boy' stuff."

"Just shut up and do as I say!" The raven haired woman barked as she strode away

Ichigo watched her back as she went, "I said I didn't want to follower orders, but here I am taking orders from that midget," he said bitterly to himself.

'It is my duty to help and protect those who can't protect themselves' her voice echoed in his head


	6. When in doubt Run like Hell

His eyes perked to the sight of the light turning on to the apartment window of a certain raven haired woman on the fourth floor. From where he stood at the café he couldn't see much, but of course he was prepared for that. With ease and pleasure he took out a camera, the best of its kind, he adjusted the lens so he can look directly into the window clearly.

The watcher checked at his watch. 12:30.

How could that be? It is a work day. Did she over sleep? Forget to set her alarm? These where but some of the questions the watcher asked himself. He knew something wasn't right.

The watcher took his recorder out of his pocket and held it to his mouth, before speaking he looked at his watch again, "12:33, subject has woken up only three minutes before. It is a work day and for the months that the subject has been observed by me, the subject has always woken up at 8:10 to get ready for work. (Pause) The subject doesn't seem to be in any rush," the watcher said carefully and slowly, making sure he doesn't miss a thing, making sure he documents the rare and strange behavior of his subject.

He could only see the living room to her apartment, seeing her as she crossed the room back and forth grabbing one thing after another.

He spoke into the recorder again, "Subject may be taking the day off, and she seems to be grabbing a variety of things. All of which I cannot see from where I stand. (Pause) The subject has just exited her apartment and is heading to exit the building (Pause) The subject is out of the building *click* *click* *click* The subject is not taking her car, but is walking to her destination *click* *click* *click* Where the subject is going, I am not sure, but it is in a direction that I haven't seen her go *click* *click*"

He stood there watching, getting as much snap shots he can get, even during his recording. He will soon have to follow her, but not to close. As he left the café he followed the raven haired woman, careful that he was only twenty paces away from her.

*click* *click* *click* He took a picture of every turn she took, watching closely.

"Damn It," he cursed to himself, he was getting too close and the turns the woman was making seemed to be random. Did he blow his cover? The man stopped walking and waited for people to pass him on the sidewalk. He refocused his camera; the raven haired woman was turning, looking for something. The man switched the setting of the camera to recorder. *click* the camera was rolling now, catching every move the raven haired woman took. He froze as he saw the woman turn and faced his direction through the camera. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, but continued to record her. Feeling as if the raven haired woman's amethyst eyes were staring right at him. She said something, he couldn't hear her, he saw her lips mouth something. As the man tried to figure out what it was she said, he'd been bumped by a person passing by. The watcher nearly toppled over.

"Fuck!" He hissed, rushing to put the camera back to his face and continue his pursuit, but she was gone. He lost her.

The man grew tense. What is he going to do? How was he going to tell his boss that he lost her? He knew his boss would kill him for sure. He didn't just lose his job or a subject. He lost _The Hell Butterfly_

* * *

Looking into the bathroom mirror Ichigo did his morning rituals and was humming to the radio. Well, it was mid-day, but he didn't have work to go to so it didn't matter.

"WEEEE AREEEE YOOUNGGG! SO I SET THE WORLD ON FIREEEE!" he sung aloud, pretending his deodorant was a microphone, "SO WE CAN BURN-" The sound of the door bell rang through the house ending the embarrassing moment.

Running his fingers through his orange spikes and still in his pajamas, he opened the door, "May I help you?" he said politely

"Move idiot," A familiar voice barked

"Rukia? What the hell?," Ichigo scowled, "What are you doing here?"

"Quit wasting time with dumb questions to something so obvious." The raven haired woman chided

"If I knew why you are here I wouldn't have asked," the ginger growled, "dumb midge-"a duffel bag to the face stopped him mid-word.

"Put all the things you would need for the next month or so, but not too much, the last thing we need is heavy luggage that'll hold us back," Rukia snapped, "No electronics."

"Uh- okay, sure." Ichigo said as he put clothes, toiletries... all the things necessary for a trip that long, "Tell me why I am doing this anyway. Are we runnin' or something?"

"Not running, we are just going to lay low for a while." Rukia said looking through her own duffel bag making sure she had everything. "Nice boxers, buy the way."

Ichigo looked down, his face hot with embarrassment

"Strawberries; fitting," she smirked

"I swear I'm gonna kill you, Rukia Kuchiki," the ginger said through clenched teeth

Ignoring his comment, Rukia went on saying, "Since, in a couple hours, we are going to be wanted by the SS Armed Forces, we need to drop off the grid and work on the Aizen case."

"How are we going to do that? Karakura is a small town. Everyone knows everyone here. Laying low won't be easy." Ichigo said continuing to fill the duffel bag in his hand.

"About that," Rukia said, "I've been having this hunch during the past few months that I am being watched. By who, I don't know. I don't want to stick around and find out, especially with the situation we're in."

"So you don't know who is watching you, or what they want." Ichigo said

"Yes," the raven haired woman nodded

"It's pretty much, 'when in doubt, run like hell." The ginger said slightly irked

"Yes. Problem?" The raven haired woman said in a threatening tone

"No, n-not at all. So we are going to leave Karakura town? Where are we gonna go?" Ichigo asked cocking his eyebrow

* * *

"**The flight to Paris, France will be departing in 30 minutes…"** The speaker in the terminal said

Ichigo sat, tapping his foot impatiently as he watched the raven haired midget talk into a public phone. He grumbled to himself, a dark aura forming around him. 'Yes, thank you very much. Okay. You sure? ...n-no, that's fine….Thank you, Urahara.' Ichigo overheard her say.

He glared at Rukia as she returned sitting three seats away from him. "Who was that," he scowled

"Just a friend," was her short answer

"Uh huh…." The ginger drawled unbelievingly, "Why aren't you sitting next to me then?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ichigo." Rukia snapped, "And why would I sit next to you with an aura like that?"

"Do they know what is going on and what we're doing?" Ichigo asked, the dark aura growing bigger

"Maybe…"

"What the Hell, Rukia," the ginger growled, "They know what is going on and I don't know the slightest thing and I'm your partner, come on."

"Okay, fine." She sighed, "Pretty soon there is going to be a warrant for our arrest. Our faces on every news channel and people looking for us within a fifty mile radius of Karakura. If we do not leave soon then we are trapped and you can consider the Aizen case as good as gone. You really want the man who killed an innocent civilian running around and a SS captain missing?"

"No," Ichigo scowled, "Of course not."

"Good. What we are doing now is going to Paris, to get information we need for the case." Rukia continued.

"But, why Paris?" Ichigo asked his head slightly tilted

Rukia glanced at Ichigo, "I've been to Paris before. I have connections there," she shifted in her seat, "Although, it's been almost seven years….I wonder if…." She shook her head at an unwanted memory

Ichigo stood from his seat and sat next to Rukia, rapping his arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find what we need, with or without connections," he smiled softly

Surprised by the ginger's sudden actions, Rukia turned to him, "Ichigo," she said softly.

"Yeah, Rukia," he replied, his voice just above a whisper as he leaned in closer to hear what she had to say

"Don't be all cheeky with me! Especially at a time like this!" She barked as she upper cut him, "What do you think I am!? A child?!" she scolded

"N-no, sorry," Ichigo said rubbing his stinging jaw.

"We need to focus," the raven haired woman chided

"I was just trying to cheer you up" he mumbled inaudibly

Rukia sighed, "Anyway, our main objectives in Paris are keeping a low profile and getting as much information we can get without getting into trouble."

"When we get to Paris…" Ichigo started, "Where will we stay? And I am pretty sure we can't use our names for anything if we want to stay off the radar."

"I don't know where we'll stay; I'm still working on that." Rukia answered, "But the name thing I got covered," she affirmed him as she dug an envelope out of her duffel bag and handed it to him

Ichigo opened the envelope, as he did an ID and a passport slid out. On the ID card was a picture of him, on the card it said his name was Nicolo Meszaros, it said "Nicolo" was thirty years old and then the rest describes him except there is a random birthday in the place that would have been his. The passport had the same. Ichigo glanced at Rukia, "What is yours?"

Rukia took out her wallet and flipped it open revealing her new identity. Her name now was Cecilia Castillo, it said she was twenty-nine years old and like Ichigo's it was made to describe her except "Cecilia" is said to be a little taller than Rukia and like his card there was a random birthday to replace hers.

Ichigo put his new ID card in his walled and slipped it back in his pocket along with the passport as he did this the envelope fell out of his grasp and hit the floor with a clang.

Curious, Ichigo picked up the envelope from the ground, looking inside it. He found a wedding band.

Ichigo turned back to Rukia, who was fiddling with the matching ring on her left hand ring finger. Ichigo opened his mouth to speak.

"Save it. I wasn't the one who wanted this. It was the person who gave us all this. He did it, that perverted old man." Rukia croaked, "Just put it on, you'll forget it's even there. I also have the wedding certificate if we are ever asked, I'll have it."

Ichigo's face flushed with embarrassment, "O-okay," he replied putting the ring on his left hand ring finger.

The two then sat in awkward silence

"I'm going to make another phone call," Rukia said breaking the uncomfortable solitude.

"Don't take too long, we're gonna board soon," Ichigo said as the raven haired woman got out of her seat.

"I won't," was her reply.

Rukia strode to the public phone and punched in a familiar number and listened as the phone rang.

"Hello?" A man's voice said, after the second ring.

"Urahara, it's me," the raven haired woman said

"Rukia, this is the second time you called me, are you anxious?" the man named Urahara said teasingly

"Of course not," Rukia snapped, clenching her fist slightly before sighing, "I just need to know if we'll have a place to stay and if anyone is in Paris."

"You called at the right time, Rukia. When you get to Paris, go to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It will be night when you get there so not too many people will be there. Someone will come to you and say 'Avant-garde'. If that doesn't happen an hour and a half after your arrival then there is no one in Paris you can trust."

Rukia swallowed hard. "Avant-garde" she said to herself, "Okay."

"Don't say it like that, little lady~" the man said over the phone, "Not everyone is willing to help. There are people who are hiding as well and if they are found, they can just drag you down with them."

"What about you, Urahara? The SS will come for you. You are the only one who can do all this. What will you do?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Rukia~ If they come, we'll just play dumb," the man reassured her, "You and your _husband_ can go on your marry way, don't do anything I wouldn't do~" the man bubbled and quickly hung up the phone before the raven haired woman could react.

"Damn you, Urahara! That dirty old man!" Rukia growled angrily, slamming the phone into the receiver.

Rukia turned, stunned to see a certain carrot top standing behind her.

"Ru-, I mean, Cecilia, you okay?" Ichigo said flabbergasted, "It's time to board the plane now."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," the raven haired woman said, it took her a moment to remember why he called her by a different name.

"Okay, well. Let's go." Ichigo said holding both of their duffel bags, "Go find us a seat, I'll take care of these."

"Okay." Rukia said her face warm with embarassment and did as the he said.

Rukia sat in her seat next to the window, watching Ichigo as he put their duffel bags in the over head compartment.

"There we go," he said quietly to himself; after putting the bags away he took his spot next to Rukia, "How long do you think the flight will take?" he asked while buckling himself.

"I'm not sure."

"Oh, well you should try and get some sleep, you must be tired." Ichigo said looking at the small woman next to him contemplating how tired she really was.

"Not really," Rukia said shaking her head, "I'm not tire-," she was interrupted by yawn that escaped her. Blushing slightly she turned away from Ichigo.

"See, even your body agrees with me," he chuckled

"Shut up," she yawned again, punching him lightly in the arm as a wave of fatigue ran through her.

"Whatever you say, Rukia," Ichigo said teasingly

"It's Cecilia, remember," Rukia said, her eyes watering from her yawning so much

"About that," Ichigo started, blush creeping up his neck, "Can we not call each other by those names? I mean, it doesn't feel right. And we're supposed to be married, right? Why not just call each other by a nickname or something."

She blinked and tilted her head, "I see, you're right" Rukia said, tapping her chin, "I'll call you honey, then."

"Oh." Ichigo scratched the back of his head with his free arm, his ears flushed pink. "Guess that's okay."

"So, what is your nickname for me, honey?" she said, trying hard to keep her eyes open and sit up straight.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck shyly, "How about sweetheart? "

"That one is fine," Rukia yawned again and gave in to fatigue and leaned her head against the ginger's shoulder.

"What happened to not being cheeky?" he told her, referring to her head on his shoulder, attempting to not laugh.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes, "You don't need to nit-pick."

Ichigo lightly shrugged, careful not to push her, "I guess not."

And with one last yawn, Rukia fell asleep. Ichigo sat in solitude, listening to her even breathing and stared out the window. It wasn't till now did he notice that the plane had already taken off.

"Excuse me, sir," There was a light tap on his shoulder, it was a flight attendant

"Yes?" Ichigo replied, turning his head to the woman

The flight attendant held out a blanket "Would you like a blanket for your wife?" she asked, nodding towards the small raven haired woman next to him, eyeing the wedding band that hugged his ring finger.

"Uh, yes, thank you," he said accepting the woman's offer

The flight attendant smiled and left, putting her attention to the people who sat in front offering snacks.

"You'll forget it's even there, huh?" Ichigo mumbled to himself as he spread out the blanket and gently placed it on his partner. Then feeling a pair of eyes watching him he turned to see an old woman, who sat across the aisle from them, staring at him.

Ichigo smiled politely and waved at the old woman

The old woman did the same before saying, "Beautiful couple looks beautiful."

Ichigo was about to correct the woman saying they were partners of the business kind, but he stopped himself and simply laughed, 'Funny how we're not,' he thought, 'We have to pretend to be for the time being, but it's all strictly business.'

* * *

As soon as the two landed in Pairs they went straight for the Notre Dame Cathedral, Rukia filled Ichigo on the phone call she had with her friend as they head to their destination, leaving out the 'run along with your "husband" ' part and everything else after. Like Rukia's friend had said there were not many people, well not a troublesome amount that is, considering it was night time.

Now it was just the matter of waiting.

The two partners stood by the Cathedral and watched all the people there pass by, watching them as they went to where they needed to be.

Growing impatient, Rukia turned to Ichigo, "How long has it been?" she asked

"About an hour," Ichigo croaked looking at his watch.

"We should just go then," she said softly, "We can just check into the nearest motel."

"You sure you wanna do that?" Ichigo said, tilting his head slightly, "We still have another half hour."

"Yeah, I'm sure," the raven haired woman said as she started to leave, but to then bump into a person walking by

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the person in French, her head bowed

"Avant-garde, belle," a man's voice replied.

Rukia lifted her head, 'the word.' she thought relieved.

Her eyes widened in disbelief and shock as she looked at the person whose mouth uttered the phrase, "_You_," she breathed

* * *

_"Belle" - a french phrase which means a pretty girl or a woman, which is often used by people to address the most beautiful girl in a party or a social gathering._


End file.
